ABSTRACT
Student Grading System (SGS) is a web application developed using ASP.NET framework. SGS provides interfaces for instructors to set up coursework such as assignments, projects and exams, and the system provides grading criteria, scores and comments on graded work to each coursework submitted by a student. It also provides capability for instructors to change their personal profile, and provides capabilities for students to view coursework expectations and outcomes for their own submitted coursework. It also provides capability for students to upload their assignments according to instructor’s requirements such as due date, file size and file types. SGS has been implemented on ASP.NET framework with PostgreSQL server.
OBJECTIVE AND SOLUTION
Objective
The objective of this project is to develop Student Grading System, a web application implemented using ASP.NET framework and database server. This system will provides user – friendly interfaces for instructors to set up coursework including assignments, projects, and exams, and grade the coursework and give immediate feedback and comments on each coursework.
Web Application
In general, web based applications may contain N – layers, with each layer having its well-defined functionality.
PostgreSQL
There are two leading open source systems: MySQL and PostgreSQL. MySQL has the advantage of significant opportunities, since it actually comes with almost none of the features taught in a typical DB systems course.
WEB – BASED SGS DESIGN
Fig.1 Instructor Use Case of SGS
The ellipsoid indicates the states and the squares represent functions of objects. The arrow shows the state translation, and the line indicates the function call. The number on arrow shows the limitation of the operation. The description on the line or arrow shows the pre-operation.
Fig.1 presents a graphical overview of the functionality provided by web-based Student Grading System in terms of Instructor. The ellipsoid shows the state of instructor’s activity or attributes of instructor’s operation (illustrated by squares). Instructor can easily switch from one state to another. There are four states for an instructor: set coursework, grading, set students and change password.
Fig.2 Student Use Case of SGS
The ellipsoid indicates the states and the squares represent functions of objects. The arrow shows the state translation, and the line indicates the function call. Fig.2 shows a graphical overview of the functionality provided by web-based Student Grading System from the perspective of the student. The SGS allows a student to select an available course and login by entering username and password. After authentication, student has three states: view coursework, view grades and assignment submission.
Fig.3 4-tier SGS Architecture Design
An N – tier application divides a system into discrete logical parts. The common selection is a 4-part breakdown — presentation, logic, data access and data-although other possibilities exist. N-tier applications have first emerged as a way of solving some of the problems associated with traditional client/server applications. With the arrival of the Web, this architecture has come to dominate new development. Fig.3 shows 4 -tier architecture of my SGS as follows.
IMPLEMENTATION AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES
Fig.11 Student: Assignment Submission
Fig.11 displays the Assignment Submission page for student. The interesting part is a real – time timer, which can help student estimate submission time and enrich user experience. The correspond technologies I implement are:
- AJAX Extensions
- UpdatePanel
CONCLUSIONS
The Student Grading System assists instructors at universities to manage conveniently and flexibly for each assignment grading criteria, instructor feedback, and numeric grade (performance). It also allows that students view the grading criteria before submission. After grading completed by the instructor, students can view all three along with average/mean scores. The system has implemented using ASP.NET framework and PostgreSQL server.
Through developing this project, I grasped knowledge and skills of how to develop a web – based application using ASP.NET with interaction of PostgreSQL server thoroughly. Also, I mastered a set of technologies to implement the application such as forms authentication, input validation, listview, Ajax, and session etc. Test has shown that ASP.NET framework with PostgreSQL server provides a satisfactory solution to SGS. Dr. Lindquist plans to use this system to support his courses.
The system features can be expanded by some further improvement. The future work may include:
- Email confirm for changing password
- Deal with forgetting password
- Provide links to the web pages of instructors’ courses
- Authority for administrators
Source: Arizona State University
Author: Jiaoyu Song
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